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William James Middle

Q: Is William James Middle a good school?

William James Middle ranks in the bottom 2.0% of Texas middle schools.

Q: How many students attend William James Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 710 students attended William James Middle.

Q: What is the racial makeup of William James Middle?

Students at William James Middle are 81% Hispanic, 11% African American, 6% White, 1% Asian.

Q: What high school do graduates of William James Middle attend?

Students who attend William James Middle usually go on to attend Polytechnic High School

Public Grades 6-8

2288^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,335 Texas Middle Schools

Better than 2% of Texas middle schools

Summary

William James Middle in Fort Worth, TX, is a public school serving 710 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd), where over 94% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating extremely high economic need. The school's overall academic performance is critically low, ranking in the bottom 1-3% of Texas middle schools for the past decade, with recent zero-star ratings. Its most severe weakness is in mathematics, where only about 2% of 6th and 7th graders are proficient—far below the district average and a fraction of state averages. This makes it the lowest-ranked school in its immediate area, trailing nearby peers like Forest Oak Middle (15th percentile) and Jean McClung Middle (20th percentile), and significantly behind charter schools like Idea Southeast College Preparatory (30th percentile).

Despite these challenges, William James Middle shows a striking "two-schools" dynamic. While standard grade-level scores are extremely low, its advanced End-of-Course (EOC) exams are exceptional: Biology proficiency (72.41%) exceeds the state average, and English I Reading (64.58%) is well above the district average. This suggests that resources and effective teaching are concentrated on a small group of advanced students, leaving the majority behind—a critical equity issue. Additionally, the school's Special Education program is a relative bright spot, ranking in the 36th percentile statewide, outperforming most other subgroups. Compared to the nearby Int'l Newcomer Academy, which serves a similarly high-needs population and also ranks in the bottom 1%, William James performs better in most subjects, such as 8th-grade Reading (11.45% vs. 6.17%).

The school's performance has stagnated or declined over time, dropping from the 12th percentile in 2017-2018 to the 1st and 2nd percentile in recent years, with no sustained upward trend in core subjects like reading. While the dropout rate (2.6%) is lower than the district average (3.1%), it remains higher than some peers like J Martin Jacquet Middle (0.2%). For parents, this school presents a stark choice: a highly effective advanced program for a select few, but a failing standard curriculum for most students. Without significant systemic intervention, William James Middle will likely continue to struggle to serve its high-needs population effectively.

710

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,036

Per pupil spending ?

94.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1101 Nashville St
Fort Worth, TX 76105-1543

(817) 814-0200

District: Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend William James Middle usually attend:

High:

Polytechnic High School

Feeder schools for William James Middle:

Elementary:	McRae Elementary
	S S Dillow Elementary
	T A Sims Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.3%

African American:

11.1%

White:

5.6%

See top rated Texas middle schools

Compare William James Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 14th percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (15% vs 50% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg34%

Texas avg50%

2,288^th of 2,335

Texas public middle schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^th of 19Middle Schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd)

664^th of 951Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd) among Texas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	4.2	2313 of 2344	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.2	2336 of 2372	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.8	2265 of 2330	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.8	2126 of 2254	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.0	2057 of 2252	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.9	2095 of 2193	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	1828 of 2080	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.1	1784 of 2027	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.3	1824 of 1987	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	21.7	1758 of 2043	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	23.2	1658 of 1987	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	28.7	1580 of 1973	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.2	1668 of 1951	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	19.8	1752 of 1895	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	18.1	1687 of 1803	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	32.3	1433 of 1763	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	29.5	1437 of 1718	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	18.2	1519 of 1684	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	14.8	1455 of 1585	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	12.8	1464 of 1582	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	18.2	1413 of 1573	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	10.6	990 of 997	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	1257 of 1280	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	1250 of 1273	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.5	1217 of 1251	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.5	1125 of 1213	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.3	1148 of 1193	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.8	972 of 1167	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2019	3.3	584 of 594	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	25.5	1845 of 2182	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.9	1686 of 2118	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.9	1859 of 2058	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	48.0	870 of 2008	56.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	7.8	1419 of 1428	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.8	1758 of 1770	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	1655 of 1720	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	1334 of 1643	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.0	1107 of 1592	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.8	1176 of 1445	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.7	959 of 1376	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	4.4	1823 of 1825	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.4	2229 of 2242	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.9	2183 of 2241	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.6	2146 of 2221	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.3	2020 of 2151	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.1	2006 of 2047	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.1	1815 of 2008	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	0.2	1229 of 1230	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.6	1478 of 1481	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.6	1475 of 1488	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.7	1434 of 1501	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.3	1443 of 1446	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	1302 of 1430	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	5.1	1723 of 1731	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.7	2109 of 2119	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	2069 of 2116	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	1923 of 2077	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.9	1839 of 2043	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.2	1840 of 1935	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	1599 of 1895	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	5.0	1808 of 1820	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.2	2223 of 2235	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.1	2190 of 2251	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	2066 of 2220	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.5	1975 of 2172	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.4	1966 of 2073	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	1741 of 2039	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	4.3	1812 of 1818	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.4	2239 of 2246	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.4	2205 of 2245	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	2070 of 2228	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.7	1968 of 2168	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.3	1974 of 2069	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	1769 of 2030	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	38.1	1010 of 1568	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.8	1263 of 1891	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.1	1411 of 1815	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.6	1092 of 1757	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.4	1137 of 1712	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.1	1246 of 1626	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.0	1087 of 1597	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	1.0	1438 of 1439	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.6	1731 of 1733	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.7	1705 of 1749	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.9	1718 of 1723	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.9	1666 of 1700	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.8	1672 of 1684	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	44.7	900 of 1673	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2025)36th percentile+34 vs school

At Risk (2022)15th percentile+10 vs school

Asian (2019)2nd percentile-3 vs school

African American (2025)1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)1st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Female (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2025)<1st percentile~ school

White (2025)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Biology72%~ state avg

English I Reading65%+9 vs state

Algebra I28%-26 vs state

Reading17%-39 vs state

Mathematics9%-30 vs state

Social Studies3%-29 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, May 28, 2018

William James is out of control. Maybe they USED to be a good school, but that is long gone. Students are skipping and hanging outside all day. When I entered the building I had to pass by about 10 kids in a group who were leaving the campus in the middle of the day. In addition, the ladies restroom was disgusting. Please send your child to a better school. Close Quote

Schools Near William James Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR EOC Biology (2026)	STAAR EOC English I Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC English II Reading (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (2026)			STAAR Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR EOC Biology End of Course	STAAR EOC English I Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC English II Reading End of Course	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
William James Middle	Public	6-8	1101 Nashville St	Fort Worth	76105	Tarrant County	Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(817) 814-0200	710	42	16.7	94.9%	40 (5.6%)	79 (11.1%)	577 (81.3%)	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.8%)	6.2	2288^th of 2335 public middle schools	2.0%		4.2	2313^th of 2344 public middle schools	1.3%	25	27.8	72.4	64.6		22.2	15.4	11.5	2.2	2.0	17.3	2.8	$12,036
Meadowbrook Middle	Public	6-8	2001 Ederville Rd	Fort Worth	76103	Tarrant County	Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(817) 815-4300	727	42	17.2	96.6%	28 (3.9%)	229 (31.5%)	454 (62.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.5%)	14.9	2158^th of 2335 public middle schools	7.6%		14.1	2168^th of 2344 public middle schools	7.5%	10	98.0	86.4	84.9		24.8	36.3	10.9	18.5	7.5	32.0	6.9	$10,842
Uplift Mighty Prep Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	3700 Mighty Mite Dr	Fort Worth	76105	Tarrant County	Uplift Education	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(817) 288-3800	516	29	18.0	89.0%	12 (2.3%)	119 (23.1%)	371 (71.9%)	7 (1.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	21	2021^st of 2335 public middle schools	13.4%		14.9	2153^rd of 2344 public middle schools	8.1%	132	45.5				35.6	41.7	52.4	20.4		14.6	7.4	$9,015
Morningside Middle	Public	6-8	2751 Mississippi Ave	Fort Worth	76104	Tarrant County	Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(817) 815-8300	415	29	14.0	97.8%	12 (2.9%)	145 (34.9%)	239 (57.6%)	16 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	7.5	2280^th of 2335 public middle schools	2.4%		6.9	2277^th of 2344 public middle schools	2.9%	3	48.3	84.2			23.4	22.8	18.3	8.6	2.9	17.8	6.4	$12,807
Int'l Newcomer Academy	Public	6-9	4801 Eastline Dr	Fort Worth	76119	Tarrant County	Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(817) 815-5600	429	25	16.9	98.4%	52 (12.1%)	33 (7.7%)	317 (73.9%)	24 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	4.7	2302^nd of 2335 public middle schools	1.4%		3.4	2329^th of 2344 public middle schools	0.6%	27	14.5		0.0		2.9	0.0	6.2	5.9	3.5	12.2	1.2	$9,184
J Martin Jacquet Middle	Public	6-8	2501 Stalcup Rd	Fort Worth	76105	Tarrant County	Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(817) 815-3500	580	42	13.9	97.1%	12 (2.1%)	242 (41.7%)	309 (53.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	12 (2.1%)	13.9	2183^rd of 2335 public middle schools	6.5%		16	2127^th of 2344 public middle schools	9.3%	56	82.2	84.6	81.8		33.8	34.9	17.5	18.1	6.4	23.1	7.9	$13,103
Forest Oak Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	3221 Pecos St	Fort Worth	76119	Tarrant County	Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd)	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(817) 815-8200	1,044	78	13.3	96.4%	48 (4.6%)	322 (30.8%)	619 (59.3%)	43 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.1%)	22.1	1993^rd of 2335 public middle schools	14.6%		21.3	1990^th of 2344 public middle schools	15.1%	3	44.8	87.3	85.1		30.4	30.8	28.1	20.6	3.3	50.8	16.5	$15,239
Daggett Middle	Public	6-8	1108 Carlock St	Fort Worth	76110	Tarrant County	Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(817) 814-5200	353	27	13.0	90.4%	25 (7.1%)	60 (17.0%)	254 (72.0%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.8%)	19.4	2061^st of 2335 public middle schools	11.7%		12.3	2195^th of 2344 public middle schools	6.4%	134	38.2	96.8	88.4		23.8	54.7	14.3	5.6	0.0	33.3	10.2	$14,225
Idea Southeast College Preparatory	Public, Charter	6-9	2935 E Seminary Dr	Fort Worth	76119	Tarrant County	Idea Public Schools	Yes	No	(n/a)	No	(817) 885-4250	475	24	20.1	91.4%	14 (2.9%)	93 (19.6%)	356 (74.9%)	9 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	33.2	1625^th of 2335 public middle schools	30.4%		33.1	1617^th of 2344 public middle schools	31.0%	8	34.4	42.2	42.7	51.8	33.3	38.1	52.9	23.9	29.0		28.0	$11,404
Riverside Middle	Public	6-8	1600 Bolton St	Fort Worth	76111	Tarrant County	Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(817) 814-9200	739	39	19.0	93.4%	26 (3.5%)	29 (3.9%)	666 (90.1%)	7 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.4%)	15.5	2147^th of 2335 public middle schools	8.1%		13.3	2179^th of 2344 public middle schools	7.0%	32	58.6	76.3	96.8		28.3	35.9	35.2	3.3	8.6	27.7	14.9	$11,204

Frequently Asked Questions about William James Middle

What high school do graduates of William James Middle attend?

Students who attend William James Middle usually go on to attend Polytechnic High School

What district is William James Middle in?

Fort Worth Independent School District (Isd)

Is William James Middle a good school?

William James Middle ranks in the bottom 2.0% of Texas middle schools.

How many students attend William James Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 710 students attended William James Middle.

What is the racial makeup of William James Middle?

Students at William James Middle are 81% Hispanic, 11% African American, 6% White, 1% Asian.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.